Judge: District Court Lacks Jurisdiction Over Franchise’s Trade Secrets Dispute

Mealey's (December 14, 2018, 12:13 PM EST) -- CAMDEN, N.J. — A federal judge in New Jersey on Dec. 10 ruled that a franchiser failed to sufficiently show that defendants in a trade secret misappropriation lawsuit developed a competing business with the intent to harm the franchiser in New Jersey, and, as a result, the court lacks specific jurisdiction over the franchiser’s claims (Frutta Bowl Franchising LLC v. Justin Bitner, et al., No. 18-2446, D. N.J., 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 208311)....